Johannesburg Water says it is aware of concerns over outstanding payments to service providers involved in the long-delayed Hursthill 2 reservoir rehabilitation project, as contractors return to the site under a revised completion programme.

The utility acknowledged that payment challenges affect a number of suppliers and says it is working with the City of Johannesburg to address the issue. The responses come after contractors downed tools on August 7 over non-payment, temporarily disrupting work on the reservoir rehabilitation project.

Johannesburg Water spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the payment difficulties were not isolated to a single service provider. However, the utility said it is currently unable to provide specific payment timelines for individual service providers.

Read more: Johannesburg Water payment delays halt Hursthill reservoir project, leaving residents fuming

The payment concerns have become a key issue around the project, which has experienced repeated delays. While contractors have since returned to the site, the latest developments have left stakeholders watching closely to see whether work can continue without another payment-related stoppage.

Shabalala confirmed that the main contractor returned to the site on August 31, although she said there was no significant progress until September 21, when the specialist service provider also returned. Since work resumed, construction teams have been carrying out excavation and rehabilitation activities, including breaking boulders during guardhouse excavation, excavating the foundation trench and relocating existing services.

Work has also included excavation of the reservoir subsoil drainage, removal of the existing palisade fence, installation of Combiflex bandages on reservoir joints and application of a cementitious liner to the reservoir. The project is now being implemented according to a revised programme, pushing completion from September 29 to April 8, 2027.

The remaining work includes sealing and lining the reservoir and refurbishing the existing bypass pipeline, including associated valves and fittings. For Johannesburg Water, however, the immediate challenge extends beyond construction progress. The utility’s acknowledgement of wider payment pressures highlights the financial difficulties affecting suppliers working across the entity, while its inability to give contractor-specific payment dates leaves uncertainty over when individual outstanding amounts will be settled.

Also read: Payment dispute threatens to disrupt critical Hursthill 2 reservoir project

Democratic Alliance Ward 87 councillor candidate Jonathan Thompson, who visited the site on September 23, welcomed the return of contractors and said payments being made were encouraging. Thompson said continued payments would be important to ensure that work does not stop again. He added that the pace of construction would need to be monitored, noting that he had not received an updated percentage of completion.

The Hursthill 2 reservoir project is important to Johannesburg’s water infrastructure, making the ability to maintain construction activity particularly significant.

For now, Johannesburg Water says work is progressing in line with its revised programme, while acknowledging that concerns over payments remain.

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